The NFL season began last night, but it was busy in Dublin as well as Philadelphia, with the launch of the NFL Flag schools initiative for every post-primary school across the island of Ireland, in partnership with Sport Ireland and American Football Ireland.
The programme represents the league’s long-term commitment to expanding flag football, the non-contact format of American football, and creating new opportunities for boys and girls to discover and play the game.
Following a pilot initiative in 2024, which involved 60 schools and more than 4,500 young people, the NFL now aims to roll the programme out nationwide, with ambitions to grow participation to more than 50,000 by 2027.
To mark the start of the 2025 NFL season, the league, in collaboration with Sport Ireland and American Football Ireland, will distribute NFL Flag starter kits to more than 900 post-primary schools for students aged 12 to 16.
Teachers will also gain access to online educational resources and free training to help integrate the sport into PE lessons, after-school clubs, and school leagues.
The initiative was officially launched at Kingswood Community College, where Pittsburgh Steelers legend Merril Hoge and Washington Commanders star Efe Obada joined students for a coaching clinic.
“With the first NFL 2025 Dublin game just weeks away, and a new NFL season kicking off alongside a new academic year, now is the perfect time to launch our NFL Flag schools initiative,” said Henry Hodgson, NFL UK & Ireland General Manager.
“Flag football is fast-paced, exciting, accessible to all, and alongside our partners Sport Ireland and American Football Ireland we look forward to welcoming more young people to the game. We want every post-primary school aged child in Ireland to have the opportunity to catch the excitement of the first NFL Dublin Game and start playing flag football.”
Minister for Culture, Communications, and Sport Patrick O’Donovan welcomed the announcement as a milestone in sports development.
“This is an important step in what we envisage being a multifaceted, inclusive Flag Football program across the country,” he said. “A key focus of our National Sports Policy is to promote participation levels in sport for people of all ages, and I believe this program is a great opportunity to support that aim. Hosting an NFL regular-season game also offers a significant opportunity for economic, sporting, and cultural engagement between Ireland and the United States, while providing a boost to the Irish economy. I am committed to ensuring our hosting of this event creates long-term benefits and a lasting legacy.”
Dr Úna May, CEO of Sport Ireland, said the initiative will bring the sport directly to young people: “Working alongside the efforts of American Football Ireland, it will help boost sports participation — a core goal of the National Sports Policy.”
“This initiative will help introduce the sport to a younger generation who will have the pathway to progress from school to club to international level football,” added Alan Lomasney, President of American Football Ireland.
“The investment in schools marks a major step forward for the game: We look forward to seeing them participate and being involved in the continuing growth of American Football across the island of Ireland.”
Every participating school will receive a pack containing equipment including flag belts and a Wilson Youth Football, along with access to online resources such as a video tutorial featuring Irish-born New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth, downloadable classroom materials, teacher training registration, and a discount code for further equipment purchases.
Schools can register to take part at: nfl.com/ukire/nfl-flag
Image credit Brendan Moran, Sportsfile and NFL UK and Ireland
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Check out more of our Sport for Business coverage of American Football
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